Whyalla residents have watched closely since work began on our iconic new jetty late last year.
The once-in-a-generation jetty includes a loop in its design, as chosen by the community, that is unique to Australia and will provide an iconic experience for fishers, walkers and sightseers to enjoy.
“Every time we put a photo of the jetty progress up on social media, our Facebook page lights up with comments and feedback. There’s such a keen interest in the new jetty and the community rightly feels a sense of pride and ownership in the process and outcome” said Council’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kristen Clark.
In the face of this thirst for information, Whyalla Council has pulled together a ‘Question and Answer’ sheet, which tells you everything you might want to know about our spectacular new jetty.
Questions like “how long is the new jetty?”
“Well, it’s 165m long, 38m longer than the old one. However, the circumference of the loop is a further 150m of walking distance so in total our new jetty is approximately 315m long,” said Mr Clark.
“The new jetty features concrete flooring, steel mesh sides and brushed steel balustrades. The jetty is fully accessible and there are 6 locations around the exterior that have sliding sleeves on the top handrail sections to enable children or those in wheelchairs to fish. Lighting is installed inside the top handrail and the whole jetty has a sleek modern look. It’s an asset of which our community can be proud.”
With a total cost of $7.8 m, the jetty build is on track to come in on budget.
And in response to the burning question as to when the jetty will open, Mr Clark advised that with the current COVID-19 restrictions Council is working through scenarios on how to safely manage this.
“We understand that members of the community are looking forward to walking along the new jetty and throwing out a line. We are carefully considering all options as to how this can be done whilst complying with government directives regarding social distancing and gatherings.”
Initially, a ‘soft’ opening is planned with Council looking at ways that this can be managed. It is envisaged that this could involve school groups and community members, with numbers on the jetty limited and monitored as per government restrictions.
“We thank the community for their patience to date and ask them to be understanding for a little longer. There are still many variables with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which must be considered and as soon as we are able to communicate information about the jetty opening to the public, we will do so.”
The jetty ‘Questions and Answers’ resource has been added to the Council website and can be accessed by